The 8-0 Liberty Flames will travel to Raleigh on Saturday, Nov. 21 to take on the Wolfpack of NC State.
With a win, Liberty would improve to 3-0 against ACC opponents this season. A win likely won’t come easy, however, as NC State is arguably the best team that the Flames have faced this year. The Wolfpack, like Virginia Tech, are bigger, faster, stronger, and deeper than the Flames.
NC State is 4-3 this year. After eking past Wake Forest, the Wolfpack were blown out by Virginia Tech 45-24. After losing to Tech, NC State reeled off three straight wins over Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Duke before a field goal loss to Miami. Last week, NC State beat Florida State, 38-22.
The Wolfpack offense, led by junior quarterback Bailey Hockman, is averaging 34 points per game. Hockman started the first two games before moving to a backup role. After sophomore QB Devin Leary suffered a season-ending injury, Hockman stepped up – completing 43 of 62 passes for 513 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person have split carries at running back this year, and each back has over 400 rushing yards apiece. I liken Person to Liberty running back Shedro Louis and Knight to Peytton Pickett. Person has breakaway speed, and Knight is a power back best utilized in short-yardage situations. Containing the running game will be key for the Flames if they hope to win.
The Wolfpack have a number of receiving targets, led by 6’7 tight end Cary Angeline. Angeline leads the team with six touchdown receptions this season, and his size enables him to elevate and bring down passes over defenders. 6’3 senior wideout Emeka Emezie leads the team in receiving yards with 515 and is second on the team with four touchdowns. Another receiver, junior Thayer Thomas, caught 11 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns against Florida State last weekend.
The success of NC State’s receiving corps depends on Hockman’s ability to command the offense. Hockman didn’t wow anyone with his numbers against Virginia Tech, UNC or Miami, but he played well against Florida State. Liberty’s ability to rattle Hockman will be the deciding factor in Saturday’s game.
While defensive tackle Alim Mitchell has been troublesome for opponents all year long, NC State’s defense has not been overly-impressive. The unit ranks 97th in the nation in total defense, surrendering an average of 456 yards and 34 points per game. The Wolfpack had trouble containing dual-threat Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, and I think they’ll have trouble containing Malik Willis too.
This game will be decided by a touchdown, either way. At this point, I think it’s impossible to bet against the Flames. I’ll take Liberty in this one by a final score of 40-35.
